REPOST FROM July 4, 2008
Ok, so it has come to my attention over the years, and again recently, that some people don't know what "lead guitar" is. So I'm going to clarify what street musicians mean by the term.
Lead Guitar is a position in a band where the musician is responsible for guitar solos. Yes, they play rhythm or embellishment guitar as well, but if there is a rhythm guitar player, then the main thing that the lead guitarist bring to the band is playing solos.... Spot solos, main solos, fills, etc...adding the sparkle to the tune.
Rhythm Guitar is the position held by the musician that plays the guitar riffs and major guitar parts that hold the song together... the guitar arrangement that the song was built on.
In a two guitar band, the rhythm guitar will play the riffs or chords and the lead guitar will play embellishments over them, including solos where necessary. Sometimes there are two guitar parts to a song, in which case, these two players will each take one of the parts.
It's not that complicated, but when you say you need a "lead guitar".. know that you are asking for someone that specializes in playing "lead"... solos and embellishments.
When someone tells you that they don't play "lead", that means that they aren't a virtuoso in playing solos. It's a different skill set for street musicians. You can play a mean rhythm guitar without playing lead.
Other terms used by street musicians:
PS: You can be a rhythm player and still have the ability to play lead. It's about the position, not the person
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